More good stuff from Uwe Siemon-Netto, who has a provocative article in the “Lutheran Witness” on the vocation of the voter. Vocation has to do with the priesthood of all believers; therefore, Christians are to be voter-priests. He sums it up this way:
the Church must remind Christians of the responsibility God has given them as they vote Nov. 4. This responsibility can be summed up in four short sentences:
(1) Christian voters will follow nothing less than a divine calling to be a special kind of priest.
(2) As voter-priests they will not preach the Gospel.
(3) Instead, as in all worldly pursuits, Christians serve God in the voting booth by serving their fellow man.
(4) If they do so with love and circumspection rather than for selfish ends, they rank as members of the universal priesthood of all believers.
This is in a nutshell the Lutheran contribution to the debate about faith and politics. It provides a healthy alternative to this campaign season’s jabber by “false clerics and schismatic spirits,” as Martin Luther called churchmen lecturing government on how to handle its business. Seen from the Lutheran perspective, Christians act as God’s masks when they cast their votes. Through them He bestows power on political leaders, and the voters then serve God by holding leaders’ feet to the fire.
Further thoughts of mine on this theme: Though voting is an act in the Kingdom of the left, not involving preaching the Gospel, looking at voting as part of our vocation as citizen would make certain differences. Normally, one might be expected to vote in one’s enlightened self-interest. But voting vocationally would entail doing so in love and service to one’s NEIGHBOR.
Consider too that while we have the vocation in the state of subject to our rulers, in the democratic republic that Americans have been called to, we also have the vocation of ruler, since we select our officials, who report to us. That means that we citizens have the duty of being informed and of making wise policy decisions, many of which our officials will execute.
“Priests” offer sacrifices, and sacrifices are required in all vocations: denying self for the neighbor; presenting your body as a living sacrifice in the labor, agony, and trial that each vocation at some point requires; offering up the sacrifice of thanksgiving.
What else should we consider in thinking of being a voter as one of our Christian callings?
(I don’t want this to degenerate into another political argument. Ground rules: No mention of candidates’ names. We’ve already argued over whether or not Christians should always vote for the pro-life candidate. You may include that in your principles or you may articulate a reason why you think that is not necessary, but your comment must be related to vocation.)
